Created on 25 Jan 2013 ; Modified on 29 Sep 2013 ; Translation: italian
OpenERP is an Open Source ERP application for managing business processes (orders, sales, purchasing, ...).
I write this note to remember myself a few basic concepts observed during a test installation. These are very simple concepts, once you have them clearly in mind. I write them here because I noticed them already a couple of years ago in a first installation of OpenERP that I did for the company where I worked. A few years later I got bumped again. Evidently, with age, my memory isn't better :-). So: "let me write a note".
Having to do a test, for simplicity and speed of execution, we start with the following assumptions.
OpenERP has a client / server architecture. In simple terms, it consists of the following subsystems.
The OpenERP server is able to work on data sets of the same type, but conceptually separated one from each other. These sets are called Databases (hereafter: DB). For example, if we want to manage a collection of administrative data for different companies, say company-01 and company-02, we can create a database for each of these. And every time we want use OpenERP, we'll tell it what DB to use: the DB for company-01 rather than DB for company-02.
Another interesting feature of the OpenERP server is the fact that it can be, and usually is, equipped with special additional modules. Each module dedicated to one or more specialized operations. This allows us to enlarge or reduce the functionality of the system, adapting it to our needs.
OpenERP has two different types of clients in its versions 5 and 6:
The typical GTK+ client software requires installation on each client computer that will be used. On the other hand does not require the presence of a WEB browser in that PC. The Web client requires only one installation: on PC where OpenERP server works. After that, you can work with the OpenERP server from any PC using a web browser, without any additional installations.
The installer All-in-one of OpenERP version 7 installs directly the Web client only.
Thinking back to what we said, we expect for the parameters that allow us to control the following aspects:
Installation is simple.
By downloading the software, we have a program that is going to install both the OpenERP server and the DBMS. Just leave the default choices offered by the installer.
In this phase, the installer displays the data that OpenERP is going to use to connect to PostgreSQL. It shows both the user and his password, and the identification data of the machine running the DBMS (IP address and port). In our case we do not touch anything. The DBMS will be installed in our system and achieved using the default PostgreSQL account. These data match the point # 1 in the previous chapter.
First concept. The account that OpenERP uses to connect to PostgreSQL do not have anything to do with the accounts to use to access the application (section 3 of the previous chapter). The DB connection account may be of interest only for reasons of overall system configuration. Normally you do not need to change it, unless you are setting up a production site. In this case it should be modified for security reasons. But this is outside the scope of this note.
At this point we are ready to create a DB in which to record our data (aspect 2 of the previous chapter). To do this, we launch OpenERP 2()(DELETE) from the program menu. This opens the Web browser at http://localhost:8069/, the OpenERP server IP port on our PC.
OpenERP offers us a window to create a DB that can be seen in this screen:
This is because the system has just been installed and there is no DB to work with. If there was at least one DB known by OpenERP, this would react asking us for login to the system (aspect 3 of the previous chapter), as shown here:
In the screen for creating the DB, there are a couple of concepts to view. Let's see reported them in this image:
We are talking about:
Second concept. OpenERP requires only a password to manage the DB. It doesn't use a user + password pair. In the screen to generate the DB, this password is called master password. Initially it values admin and can be changed using the last item on the management DB menu. This password is not in relation to the first concept (link OpenERP / DBMS), previously illustrated.
Third concept. OpenERP requires a further password to login to the application using the user admin. In the screen to generate the DB, this is called admin password. OpenERP server uses the pair user admin + admin password to enter the application when the DB is created. This user, and its password, isn't related with what has been said for both the first and the second concept. Don't be fooled by the presence of the word admin in different contexts.
More generally, to login on OpenERP server we'll show it three parameters:
When we create a DB, OpenERP automatically creates an Administrator user named admin and the associated password is referred to as the administrative password. Using admin we will be able to work in our application to configure it, create other users (perhaps with lower privileges), and so on.
Note: Each DB has its own user admin associated.
Well, it's time to use the dialog to create the DB. For example, we can input the values shownhere:
In the example we type in admin as master password, so OpenERP knows that we are enabled to create the DB. After that we give the name oerp001 to the new DB, and we type the admin password (twice) oerp001. As we filled in the fields in question, we give the command to generate the DB pushing the red button Crea (it will be Create in English user Interface).
OpenERP will send us the signal that he is generating the request DB:
Finally, when it finished to create the DB, OpenERP will automatically login us to the new DB (oerp001) using user admin and password oerp001, as shown below:
Here we are in the configuration of the new DB, loading the apps we need. We are pleased with the work done: let's get out selecting logout from the menu at the top right identified by the user Administration.
When we are out from OpenERP, if we want to come in we will have a login window as follows:
In this windows, upper in the right, we note the possibility of selecting which DB use to work. This drop-down menu exists because during tests I created more then one DB. If there was only one, OpenERP will simplify our life hiding this selection field.
have a good job.